Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has announced that it will make a renumbering application for mobile phones available free for all customers, in support of the national renumbering plan.

On July 28, numbers in Qatar will have an additional digit added, in line with regulator ictQATAR's plan to ensure there is enough capacity to support the ongoing growth and development of the nation.

Numbers beginning with 3 will start with 33, numbers beginning with 4 will start with 44, numbers beginning with 5 will start with 55, numbers beginning with 6 will start with 66, and so on.

The application will automatically analyse and update all numbers stored in a mobile phone handset to support Qatar's new numbering plan, the company said in a statement.

Local numbers will have an extra digit automatically added, while international numbers will remain unchanged, it added.

The application will support the majority of handsets in Qatar including Nokia, BlackBerry, iPhones, Android and Windows Mobile based devices as well as common devices from major mobile phone producers (Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG and others).

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Qtel said the application was part of a detailed plan to support customers during the changeover process.

The application will be available from July 25.

All emergency telephone numbers within Qatar, including 999 and 112, will not be affected by the change, and the country code will remain +974. Numbers beginning with 1, 2, 8 and 9 will not be changed.